This invention relates to apparatus for providing visual markings on a surface. The apparatus is particularly adapted to provide visual markings relating to certain parameters (e.g. the foul line and the 3-point line) in a basketball court.
Basketball is a popular sport in the United States. Great interest is shown at all levelsxe2x80x94professional, college, high school and even grade school. Pick-up games between youngsters occur constantly. It is safe to say that participation in the United States alone in basketball games at all levels is in the millions of individuals.
The game of basketball has certain boundaries. For example, a large rectangle defines the boundaries of a basketball court. This large rectangle is bisected by a line defining the half court of each opponent. Within each half court there are a number of boundaries. For example, a semi-circle in each half court defines whether the scoring of a basket should provide two (2) points or three (3) points. A basket made by a player from a position within the semi-circle provides a score of two (2) points. A basket made by a player from a position outside of the semi-circle provides a score of three (3) points. Furthermore, a foul line and a semi-circle extending from the foul line defines an area within which a player makes foul throws. The successful completion of each foul throw provides a score of one (1) point.
Pick-up games on make-shift basketball courts are prevalent in the United States, particularly for youths under about sixteen (16) years in age. In these make-shift games, basketball courts often have to be improvised on an instantaneous basis. Since the tools required for improvising such basketball courts are generally not available, the improvised courts are often quite crude.
This invention provides apparatus for delineating important dimensions of a basketball court on substantially an instantaneous basis. For example, a semi-circle can be drawn almost instantaneously by the apparatus of this invention at any desired radius to define the boundaries of a 2-point basket and a 3-point basket. The apparatus of this invention is also able to provide almost instantaneously a semi-circle which partially defines an area within which foul throws are made. Although the apparatus of this invention has been described to define the parameters of a basketball court, it will be appreciated that the apparatus can be used for a number of different purposes.
In the apparatus constituting this invention, a hollow handle portion and a hollow barrel portion communicate with each other in a hollow housing. A first detent in the barrel portion has a first relationship for retaining a chalk in the barrel portion and a second relationship for releasing the chalk from the barrel portion. The detent is operable to the first and second relationships externally disposed on the barrel portion by a control member.
A rotatable reel and a second detent are disposed in the handle portion. The second detent has a first relationship for preventing the reel from rotating and a second relationship for providing for the reel rotation. The second detent is operable to the first and second relationships by a second control member externally disposed on the handle portion.
A string wound on the reel extends at a free end through an opening in the handle portion to a position external of the handle portion. A gripping member attached to the string free end provides for a manual unwinding of the string from the reel with the second detent in the second relationship.
A rotary member externally disposed on the handle portion is coupled to the reel for rotation with the reel. The rotary member has a handle disposable in a first relationship flush with the rotary member and in a second relationship transverse to the rotary member. With the handle and the second detent in the second relationship, the rotary member is rotatable to wind the string on the reel.